Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Making of Kona Coffee

The roses are sleeping, so I thought I would stray from my favorite topic and tell you about our visit to a coffee plantation this past December when we were in Hawaii.

A butterfly on a coffee tree blossom

I have never seen coffee grown commercially before, so to see a plantation of one of the most expensive coffees in the world was fascinating.

My first impression on walking into the farm was that coffee trees don't really look like trees. At least, not the graceful statuesque trees that a more northern gardener is used to. They do have a single trunk, but branching starts very low and the plants are barely 6' tall.

Coffee berries (called cherries) ripen all year long, a few berries at a time, so that each tree has some ripe and unripe berries on it. Cherries are harvested three times a year from the same tree (I wish I could do that with my plums and peaches).

Coffee trees are delicate, and although they need heat, they are easily scorched by the sun. On Hawaii, plantations get reliable cloud cover every afternoon shading the trees from the hottest sun. The trees are not long lived either, so new ones are grown from cuttings for replacement. It must be quite a challenge to grow coffee trees well.

A nursery for replacement trees

Quite a few steps need to be taken to turn a cherry on a coffee tree into an aromatic and richly colored roast in a cup.

My boys get a closer look

Right after picking, cherries are shelled in a pulper which extracts two sticky beans from each cherry.

After a brief period in a fermentation tank, the beans are then spread to dry on a drying rack called hoshidana.

Once they are dry, the "green" beans can be stored in their skin (called parchment) until they are roasted.

A dried green bean with part of the skin taken off. A "skinless" bean is ready for roasting.

A lot of the work on a coffee farm, from picking to drying, is done by hand. I have come to appreciate my morning cup of coffee a bit more now that I know how much effort goes into its making.

Really does make you appreciate that flavorful cup of coffee! This was so interesting, loved the information about the size of the trees, and the fact that they are harvested up to 3 times a year. Very pretty plantation.

Coffee... my favorite food group. Crockett talked about growing Coffee trees as indoor plants and they sound delightful but plants hate the inside of my house. They sound finicky to grow but oh so worth it!! Thank you for the tour.

I just wanted to let you know that I've nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award. You've got a great blog, and I love all the pictures and the helpful information. I don't grow roses, but I've wanted to for a while. Your blog has nearly pushed me over the edge into doing it several times.

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments. Apparently, those of us not blessed with Hawaiian climate can still grow coffee trees indoors, and they even bear! Maybe if I ever get more time I will try it, although I don't think I will go as far as making a cup of coffee :).

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About Me

I garden on a small lot in suburban San Jose (California). I grew up in Russia and sub-tropical gardening still amazes me. I collect roses and take pictures as a hobby. If you would like an unmarked copy of an image, please ask.